Gambels quail babies! With pics

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Just have to share my excitement! my grandpa cut the field of alfalfa early one morning and we found a nest of eggs, waited til that night, but the hen never showed, it's by my sister's house so she watched them all day and then in the evening showed up at my house with 9 eggs. I candled them, all were still clear or maybe day 2... stuck them in my incubator and waited, last night out pop 6 little babies. 1 egg was infertIle and 2 eggs seemed to have died week 1.5.
I'm so excited about these little cute guys, I've always wanted to try them
They are in the brooder now and doing great. Does any one know if it's possible to sex them, or do I need to be patient? I'm keeping them all regardless of course, just curious.
(The other eggs you see are my cotournix I put in later)
Here's one who fell asleep in a clean large egg I put in there for contrast.

They seem to love their brooder, I always try to make it as close to natural as I can so I stuck a tumbleweed in there this time haha!

 

[007Sean]

You will have to be patient. When they get their adult plumage it will be easy to sex them at that time.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Oh drat I was hoping to learn a carefully guarded secret so I could know now

You will have to be patient. When they get their adult plumage it will be easy to sex them at that time.

 

[007Sean]

Oh drat I was hoping to learn a carefully guarded secret so I could know now

Nope, no secret, the only way to tell is when they have adult plumage. The female will have a smaller top knot than the male, and somewhat duller color to the plumage.
You will also notice in the chicks right now that they have tiny top knots, That's one way to tell them apart from Bob's but not able to tell them apart from Valley or Blue Scale quail. Mountain quail chicks have top knots also but they will be darker in color than the other three quail chicks.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Nope, no secret, the only way to tell is when they have adult plumage. The female will have a smaller top knot than the male, and somewhat duller color to the plumage.
You will also notice in the chicks right now that they have tiny top knots, That's one way to tell them apart from Bob's but not able to tell them apart from Valley or Blue Scale quail. Mountain quail chicks have top knots also but they will be darker in color than the other three quail chicks.

I know they are gambels, while there are 3 kinds in new Mexico these are the only kind we've ever seen on our farm, and my sister saw the mom when she ran from the nest.

I was so shocked by their adorable top knots! For some reason I wasn't expecting to see them for a week or so. They are such a delight, they can leap halfway across the brooded already! Wild devils I love them they are so entertaining!

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Just an update, all babies are doing great, I cleaned out my 55 gallon aquarium and set it up for them, they love it in there, it's the cutest thing to watch them run from one side to the other and up and down everything. They like to kick all their ground up food out of the trough until they get down to only big pieces left and then all pile on it and sleep. Sometimes they sleep seperate, 3 fall asleep on the white sand side and 3 on the brown sand side under the tumbleweed.

.

 

[RosieR]

Wow that brooder is a work of art! Ah their little top knots are adorable!

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Thanks they sure love it!

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Thanks, they sure love it

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Sorry my phones messing up